ST. LOUIS - The list of Gold Glove finalists did not include first baseman Mike Napoli, an omission that Red Sox manager John Farrell called a surprise to him.

"You always feel that way about your own guys, because you see them every day and see how hard they work,'' Farrell said Saturday before Game 3 of the World Series at Busch Stadium.

"In my mind, he is (a Gold Glover).''

With the designated hitter absent from Game 3, David Ortiz moved to first base and Napoli was relegated to the bench. He was available for late-inning defense, a role that figured to affect Farrell's use of him as a pinch-hitter.

Using Napoli in a double switch with the pitcher will be a viable option for Farrell throughout the games in St. Louis, if Boston is able to take a lead into the late innings.

Napoli made the conversion from catcher to full-time first baseman this year for two reasons. The Red Sox had catchers but needed a power-hitting first baseman, and Napoli's chronic hip condition made catching a physical risk.

This year, for the first time, the ballots came attached with sabermetric statistics that graded range, runs saved and other non-traditional defensive analysis.

Those grades were earmarked to represent 25 percent of the vote, which was done by league managers who could not vote for their own players.

In the sabermetric analysis, Napoli ranked first. Yet the three AL finalists at first base were Baltimore's Chris Davis, Kansas City's Eric Hosmer and Tampa Bay's James Loney.

The inclusion of modern metric data was designed to eliminate the questions surrounding Gold Glove selections, which have been criticized as arbitrary in the past.

Farrell is not sure the new equation has eradicated the problem.

"In the minds of many voters, Napoli might still be viewed a catcher. You also don't know how much (the aspect of) offense is a factor,'' he said.

That might have helped Davis, who hit 53 home runs.

Past reputation has also been considered a heavy influence. That might have worked against Napoli, who did not bring a reputation for skill at first base into the season, but played the position exclusively with no games behind the plate.

Very few catchers who have played first base have been known as much more than immobile caretakers of the position. Napoli is an exception, having developed a sophisticated style at first base.